Acanthus

Acanthus is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the Old World, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean region and Asia. Common names include Acanthus and Bear's breeches.

The genus comprises herbaceous perennial plants, rarely subshrubs, with spiny leaves and flower spikes bearing white or purplish flowers. Size varies from 40 cm, up to 2 m tall. An example of one such plant is the Shrimp Plant which can be found in the state of Florida in the United States.


Species
Acanthus mollis - commonly known as Bear's Breeches, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the genus Acanthus, native to the Mediterranean region from Portugal and northwest Africa east to Croatia, and is one of the earliest cultivated species of garden plants. It grows to 2 m tall, with basal clusters of deeply lobed and cut, shining dark green leaves up to 1 m long and 20 cm broad. The flowers are tubular, whitish, lilac or rose with spiny green or purplish bracts, and produced on stout spikes which grow up to 2.5 m (8 ft) above the leaves. It flowers in late spring or early summer. It grows in dry areas, and is tolerant of drought and shade. The plants are propagated from tubers and tend to form large, localized clumps which can survive for several decades. The leaves of this plant are generally considered by historians to have been the design inspiration for the Corinthian column capitals of Roman architecture.

Acanthus montanus

Acanthus eminens

Acanthus hungaricus

Acanthus spinosus

Acanthus syriacus

Acanthus balcanicus

Acanthus dioscoridis

Acanthus ilicifolius

Acanthus hirsutus

Acanthus polystachyus

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